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Solvay (Alpharetta, GA, US) is doubling its kitting capabilities for process materials in France to meet the increasing production rate of large composite parts such as aircraft wings and wind turbine blades.

The kitting facility in Toulouse primarily serves customers across Europe. The additional equipment, capacity and floor space will increase the site’s manufacturing rate of large vacuum bagging kits, and 60 new jobs will be created over the next few years.

“Solvay is reinforcing its position as a key partner to the industry, serving customers out of Europe and the U.S. Process materials are critical for our customers to successfully manufacture composite parts and we see that these high-value added products and services are an important component to driving the industrialization trend,” says Carmelo Lo Faro, president of Solvay’s Composite Materials Global Business Unit (GBU).

Solvay says it is well placed to support its customers thanks to its expertise in design of complex kits and shaped bags as well as its in-house capability for co-extrusion and transformation of multi-layered plastic bagging films. Solvay has primary kitting facilities in Santa Fe Springs, CA, US, and Toulouse, France.

The Santa Fe Springs site manufactures large, complex vacuum bagging kits for applications including aircraft wings and empennage or wind turbine blades. These kits include fully tailored, part specific cut shapes that can be combined with reusable/welded bags. Those kits are aerospace qualified and used to manufacture components on major aircraft programs.

The Toulouse site is focused on the fabrication of large, complex vacuum bagging kits, as well as elastomeric reusable bags. Complex kits include fully tailored, part-specific cut shapes that can be combined with reusable/welded bags. Solvay’s reusable bags are manufactured from high-performance silicone rubber compound.